brass or stainless steel bolts

[Bob3]

There are some fairly decent plastics on the market, my favorite way to test is to stick them in the freezer for a couple of hours & then smack briskly with a 4 lb hammer.
If they survive, you can test further by doing the "burn test" where you set it on fire & look closely for the glass reinforcing fibers that should be in the ash.

 

[pipedope]

That test works great for tenders and buddies also.


No need for the burn test, just leave them out in the sun choking hose for a few hours.

Actually I like bronse fittings but when I can find good ones they cost more than stainless. I guess that is just the old ocean sailor in me.

 

[Bob3]

... I like bronse fittings ...

Yah, a good grade silicone bronze is hard to beat; ask any machinist about the "self lubrication" properties of bronze. The critters operate noticeably more smoothly than SS, & as long as there's no Zinc in the mix electrolysis isn't an issue.

 

[d33ps1x]

I'm with Bob3.

Stainless is purdy but doesn't move nearly as nicely. I only use one SS BIG single ended snap because I couldn't find anything handy that day in another material in a bigger size.

 

[Ice Blue]

Use stainless steel. Stainless steel is a harder metal than brass is and will outlast as well. :doctor:

 

[rjens]

I was at Lowes last night and noticed that they had Brass, SS and Bronze Snaps.

Brass and Bronze were both both under $2 each, SS were around $5.

I don't know much about metalurgy, ok I know zip about it. What is the chance that the $2 bronze snaps are "Good" bronze?

The slide on the Bronze actually was the smoothest of the three.

Anyway, I picked one up to to try on my next dive. I will try it and see how it fairs with the SW.

RJ

 

[pipedope]

I have never seen bronze at Lowes but you never know what they will carry next.

I have never seen good bronze hardware for prices less than those of stainless steel.

Any of them are fine in frewh water.
Brass tends to loose the zink content in salt water, over time.

Bronze threads don't gall the way stainless is prone to do and are a much better choice for high load things like turnbuckles on sailboats. This is not important in a boltsnap used in diving but I just like bronze.

 

[ba_hiker]

Brass is cheap junk..it is copper and zinc (i believe) and the zinc will leach right out. It is soft and not very strong.

Bronze is great stuff (remember it was a bronze age, not a brass age). It is copper and tin. Much stronger, harder and the 'self lubricating' feature. This means that bronzes works well with out oil or lubrication of any kind. Very corrosion resistant.

Phosporous Bronze is even better, very strong (some alloys nearly as strong as hi carbon steel) and self lubricating.

Stainless is good strong and hard. It requires lubrication and suffers from crevice corrosion. There are many alloys. The strength, hardness and corrosing resistance vary according to alloy.

I use bronze and stainless both

 

[d33ps1x]

Use stainless steel. Stainless steel is a harder metal than brass is and will outlast as well. :doctor:

It comes down to intended use.

These bolt snaps are for clipping thing to you not hanging a truck upside down.

Bronze is more than strong enough to do the job and the spring system is the same as the stainless regardless of the cast material.

Its all good that people prefer SS for asthetic reasons but call a spade a spade.

Interesting enough. You might want to ask your dive shops why stainless is 3 to 4 times the price considering most wholesalers charge only about double the price for it vs bronze. (Non-scuba wholesalers)

Could it be that they also recongnize that people will pay extra to look shiny and cool?

 

[R_Deluca]

Could it be that they also recongnize that people will pay extra to look shiny and cool?

That's the only reason I buy SS.